It is conventional in the meat packaging industry to package meat products such as bacon on a semi-rigid insert base within a clear transparent overlayer. The insert base typically consists of a monolayer of unfoamed impact polystyrene, paperboard or polyethylene-coated paperboard. An unfoamed polystyrene monolayer insert has low stiffness properties, and is considered undesirable for this reason. Paperboard and polyethylene-coated paperboard inserts have been found to absorb meat fat around the die-cut edges of the insert, which makes the insert and package limp and unsightly. Paperboard also leaves paper fibers along the die-cut edges, which can adulterate the meat product. All of these problems are particularly acute in connection with the packaging of bacon specifically because of the high fat and grease content of the bacon.
It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide an insert base for packaging meat products such as bacon that addresses and overcomes the deficiencies of conventional monolayer polystyrene and paperboard insert bases (coated or uncoated) as described above. A more specific object of the present invention is to provide an insert base of the described character that does not absorb bacon fat and the like, and that retains structural integrity and appearance during extended storage after packaging. A further object of the invention is to provide a package insert of the described character that is lighter in weight than conventional package inserts of the same size, thereby reducing transportation and handling costs. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a plastic insert base having the desirable properties discussed immediately above, a method of packaging meat products on such a base, and a meat product package that includes such an insert base.